A LinkedIn exchange questioning workplace challenges facing women executives has cost McKinsey & Co. senior partner Chris Bradley his leadership role at the consulting firm’s research unit, Bloomberg reported.
Bradley has been removed as a director of the McKinsey Global Institute, the firm's high-profile business and economic research unit, McKinsey said in a statement on Sunday. He will however continue as a senior partner at the firm.
“Following our conduct review process, we have removed the partner from his leadership roles, including at the McKinsey Global Institute. His public comments fell well short of the standards we expect at our firm,” McKinsey spokesman Taylor Burns said in an emailed statement.
Bradley also served as a leader on some internal committees, Burns said, according to the news report.
What were the comments all about?
The decision followed an internal review triggered by Bradley’s LinkedIn back-and-forth last month with one of the authors of a new book that discusses the “glass cliff” phenomenon faced by women in the workplace.
McKinsey had previously distanced itself from Bradley’s comments on the subject, which were later deleted.
The term “glass cliff” is coined by academics to describe a pattern in which women are more likely to be appointed to leadership roles at companies facing a crisis or struggling to turn around their business.
Proponents of the theory argue that research shows female executives are often given opportunities to become chief executive officers when the risk of failure is higher in a certain organisation.
Bradley, who is based in Australia, questioned whether the phenomenon existed at all. In the now-deleted posts, he described the glass cliff as “a very convenient way to always be a victim in the rain”.
McKinsey has long sought to advance the conversation about challenges women face in the workplace. It also published a “Women in the Workplace” study, compiled with Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In advocacy group, for more than a decade.
All we know about Chris Bradley
Bradley holds a master’s degree in economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he majored in industrial organisation and graduated in 2003.
He also holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce and science, with a focus on finance and mathematics from the University of New South Wales.
Bradley has also worked as senior brand manager at Sainsbury's Supermarkets in the United Kingdom, according to his LinkedIn profile.
According to company profile, Bradley brings insights from a wide repertoire of industries and 25 years McKinsey experience.
He previously led McKinsey’s Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice across Asia and developed many of our firm’s modern strategy frameworks.
He is also the co-author of the internationally best-selling book Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick (John Wiley & Sons, 2018) and originated McKinsey’s Ten Timeless Tests of Strategy, according to the company records.
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Speaking at Bloomberg’s New Economy Forum in New Delhi, he said the group would continue to invest in projects such as semiconductor chips, which India and the world need. He acknowledged that such projects can be slow to deliver returns amid a tussle with Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata, who has pushed for quicker returns.
Chandrasekaran said the group must avoid undue risks and keep an eye on its balance sheet and demand. On whether an investment is financially viable, he said the numbers would not always be tidy, adding, “You need to feel the stones and cross the river. It is not that you are going to have a very clean spreadsheet in this uncertain world.”
Chandrasekaran defends semiconductor investments
Defending the group’s semiconductor investments, the Tata Sons chairman said its semiconductor push should not be judged on whether it meets the numbers in two to three years. He noted, "Direction is certain, need is certain, ability to execute is certain," and added that semiconductors would be fundamentally required, while advanced manufacturing was here to stay.
The defence comes at a time when Tata Technologies, which is developing India’s first large-scale semiconductor fabrication plant, has previously faced delays related to operations and access to technology. Chandrasekaran acknowledged the rough run the group has faced amid the Air India crash in June 2025, a cyberattack and supply-chain disruptions, but said it still recorded double-digit growth while maintaining its margins.
Tata Sons chairman defend investments amid growing dispute
The comments come as Tata Trusts, the group’s majority shareholder, reviews its approach to capital allocation. The nearly 160-year-old Tata group reported revenue of $185 billion in the last fiscal year.
Noel Tata has reportedly differed with Chandrasekaran in recent board discussions over capital-allocation decisions and investments that can deliver returns more quickly. Tata Trusts owns about 66% of Tata Sons, the holding company of the group behind brands including Jaguar Land Rover, Air India, Taj Hotels and Tetley Tea.
His defence also comes amid an internal dispute that has now become public. In August, the Tata Sons chairman said he would not seek another term after his current tenure ends in February 2027, citing the lack of unanimous backing from the Tata Sons board. In February, concerns raised by Noel Tata prompted the board to postpone a decision on Chandrasekaran’s third term, and Tata Trusts began looking for a successor.
However, the Tata Sons board reappointed Chandrasekaran as chairman for five years last month. Noel Tata, one of the Trusts’ two board nominees, voted against the decision. Tata Trusts subsequently termed the reappointment illegal under the company’s articles, citing legal advice, a position disputed by Tata Sons.
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